Morning Radio
by Mr Ilax
Summary: A collection of one-shots inspired by songs that I hear throughout the day. Chapter 7: Gold. I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, mom. I've been busy.
1. First Time We Met

**Author's Note: Woo! This week has been a goodish week. Work turned less stressful, the weather went back down to the proper cold and rainy, and I got alot of writing done.**

 **So this is my first story for my compilation. Sometimes I hear a song and it makes me think of some RWBY characters and a situation. The resulting story may not even follow the song, but they were inspired by it.**

 **This one is for the April Reddit MonCon! Revolving around Qrow and storytelling!**

 **Song: You're Going Down - Sick Puppies.**

 **Characters: Qrow Branwen, Winter Schnee**

 **#MyCanon #FromDust!AU**

* * *

"...and just before exiting, Ironwood holstered his gun, turned back towards the councilman and growled in a gruff voice, 'I'll be back'."

The end of the story elicited a drunken cacophony of laughter from the crowd. Several members of the crowd dropped coins into the cup in front of the storyteller.

"Another whiskey!" The storyteller exclaimed to the bartender.

As the drink was being poured the man turned to face his audience. The bar was a very familiar place to the orator now, as he had been here for most of the day. It was as average as a dive bar could be. The two street side walls consisted of large pane windows that allowed the bar to be lit by naturally by the sun throughout the day. The third wall was solid and had numerous pictures and awards hanging from it, waiting for curious patrons to find out exactly how many years in a row this bar had won 'best something or another' or who the current employee of the month was. The final wall consisted entirely of the wraparound bar where the talkative man now sat. Something seemed out of place, though. He tried to rub the alcohol fueled haze out of his eyes, did the bar always have two jukeboxes?

"You got another story for us, old man?" Someone from the crowd bellowed out.

The man used one of his had to brush his gray hair out of his face and slick it back, revealing his red eyes. The strength in his eyes belied the rest of his appearance. His simple shirt and pants were composed of faded browns and grays while a long black cloak was mottled with gray as well. His outfit was ratty and weathered, making him look more unkempt like a beggar than the ex-Atlesian soldier he claimed to be. No matter his origins, he did tell a good story. Maybe his eyes did contain the truth, the red tint held more than just strength. Behind that strong front was a wellspring of emotions; amusement, longing, hope, grief, and now, just a hint of anger.

"Don't call me old." He leaned forward and said, his eyes locking onto the offending crowd member as he wobbled slightly in his chair. "But another story…"

The orator paused for a second , taking a deep breath and assuming a thoughtful visage.

"There was that one time I woke up in the forest, half naked and covered in red s-" He shook his head slightly, letting his hair fall back down onto his face "Nah, that's a story for fancy parties."

The crowd in front of him chuckled trying to imagine the responses of aristocrats and socialites being told such a low brow story.

"Come on." Another crowd member spoke up. "You gotta have something fit for us peasants."

More laughter followed.

"Shhhhh…." The storyteller responded bringing his forefinger to his lips. His eyes scanned over the heads of the people gathered, seemingly searching for inspiration for a story. "Oh, heh. I know. Let me tell you about the first time I met Winter Schnee."

"You've never met her before!" Someone shouted only to be shushed by another crowd member.

"Hmph. Everyone's a critic." The man started. "So there I was in the forest, alone, half-naked, and covered in red sap… No, wrong story."

The cloaked man hiccuped and almost lost balance his balance as he shifted on the back two legs of the wooden chair.

"No…" Another hiccup followed. "Maybe that is the right story. It doesn't matter. The important part doesn't start until after I am all cleaned up and dressed anyways.

"So I had just jumped off the bullhead about 5 kilometers away from my objective, limited intel and only a compass to guide me. Don't ask why, the Atlesian army is a bunch of penny pinchers when it doesn't have anything to do with their damned robots. So after almost two hours of walking through the forest and dodging patrols, I made it to the dissident compound. Now, I am not one of them special Atlesian specialists that specialize in this sort of special operations…"

The man slurred, trying to grasp the sentence that he just uttered. The crowd stared at him,their looks revealing mild amusement and a hint of confusion. The storyteller gave small shrug and took another long quaff from his drink before continuing.

"So I start looking for a way into the compound. They had guards patrolling everywhere, but no fence. Lucky for me, it being the middle of summer, most of the guards were trying to keep to the shade and it left some rather large gaps in their patrols.

"Now I had to locate a way into the room the intel was in. Turns out, these terrorists were just as much of penny pinchers as the Atlesian military is; no wonder both sides had been at a stalemate for years. As stupidly cliche as it sounds, those idiots left a window open to try to let some air through. Slipping in and getting the intel would be a piece of cake, as long as I kept quiet the guards outside the door wouldn't know what was going on."

"My mission complete, all I had to do was meet up with an Atlesian specialist who was supposed to be recovering more intel from another part of the compound. Once the coast was clear I climbed out the window again and scaled my way onto the roof. I heard a bit of commotion going on in one of the courtyards so I peeked over the edge and what did I see?"

Silence filled the room as the crowd anxiously held their breath and waited for him to continue.

"No, guesses?" The orator asked before he hiccuped and took another drink. "So down in the courtyard, surrounded by troops was this girl, barely in her twenties, pure white hair and had this small toothpick of a sword drawn. I didn't know at that time who she was but she seemed to be in trouble. So I jumped down into the mob of rebels, drew my weapon and took them all out in a matter of seconds. I had just managed to resheathe my own sword, a proper sword, in time to hear the girl gasp 'My hero!'. I turned to look at her just as she swooned, falling into my arms…"

"That isn't what happened, Qrow." A cold voice called from the entrance of the bar, interrupting the story.

Upon hearing the new voice, the crowd turned to inspect the intruder.

"Someone knows how to spoil a story." Qrow joked as he turned to gaze at the entrance of the bar.

Standing, with hands on hips, just inside the door was was a tall white haired woman. Clad in a fancy blue and white long sleeve blouse and matching skirt that ended just above the knees, she stared intently across the room at the bedraggled man.

"Hey there, beautiful." Qrow slurred out as as the operative attempted to strut her way across the room. Her heels clicked loudly against the floor as she moved with a sense of authority, helping to disperse the people gathered around her target.

"You come here often?" Qrow leered.

Winter scowled in response as she reached the bar and sat next to the huntsman. "Is this the point where I let you buy me a drink?"

"Drink, kiss, same thing." Qrow grinned suggestively at the white haired girl.

"Just give me the package." Winter whispered tersely, trying avoid any prying ears in the area.

It was clear that even in civilian clothing she felt uncomfortable in a dive like this. Qrow made sure to remember that next time he was supposed to make a live intel drop with the Ice Queen.

"Here!" The gray-haired man stated loudly with a smirk as he handed a small shoulder bag to Winter. "Ya left this at my place when you ran out this morning."

"This was supposed to be a discrete exchange." Winter growled back at him. "You could at least act professional."

Qrow leaned in closer to the operative and spoke in a light whisper. "You could have worn a shorter skirt."

Winter's response was quick, knocking the huntsman off his chair and leaving him sprawled out on the ground.

"I can't believe she punched me." Qrow grumbled to himself indignantly as he rubbed his cheek.

As the sharp staccato of heels faded, cut off by the sound of the bar door slamming shut, Qrow pulled himself up off the ground. Quickly resuming his seat at the bar he haphazardly grabbed the drink nearest to him, eliciting a protest from its owner. Downing it in one gulp he spun around in his chair, nearly toppling to the ground again and prepared to launch himself into another story.

"Ya know, that reminds of the second time I met Winter Schnee..."

* * *

 **Let me know what you thought of the story!**

 **And thanks to the wonderful Zelindsay for editing this for me!**


	2. Not Perfect Not Yet, Not Ever

**Author's Note: And I am back after a *checks watch* month long hiatus. Life as been somewhat unkind to me due to everything expensive I own breaking within the same week. But I am still alive and doing fine!**

 **Without anymore adieu, because who cares since there is a story to read, my next random one shot!**

 **Song: Human - Christina Perri  
Characters: Weiss Schnee**

 **#MyCanon #FromDust!AU**

* * *

"Once again, Miss Schnee." The older man repeated himself. "Your father is very insistent that you learn your single digit multiplication table by the end of the week. Then we can proceed with double digit multiplication"

The five year old girl turned her head away from her teacher, giving a slight grunt of disapproval. Everyday was the same thing for her. Home school classes all day, dinner with her parents, then independent study until bedtime. If she was lucky, her father would have one of his business partners over and they would bring their child with them. Even though most of the kids tended to be unintelligent or sniveling brats, it was better than listening to adults ramble on for hours about pointless things.

Her father never gave her time to do as she pleased. The kids she got to meet would always talk about days of playing outside, eating sweet food, and getting whatever they wanted. It wasn't fair, but every time she asked her father for something he would just tell her that it was for her own good.

"Miss Schnee." Her teacher spoke up again. "Please pay attention. It's important that you perfect these lessons."

She hated the older man. Always telling her to pay attention; never giving her a break. Whenever she inquired why he was doing something all he would ever say was that she needed to perfect whatever lesson she was being taught.

"No." She rebelled in ear-piercing earnest, sliding off the chair and making her way to the door of the study. "I don't want to be perfect."

With that the young heiress walked through the doorway and slammed it behind her in triumph. Quickly scurrying down the vaulted hallway of her home, she made her way to one of the grand staircases that would lead her to another, identical hallway on another floor. The only benefit of the second hallway was the white wooden door on the far north side that concealed her sister's bedroom

Her family's house,or rather the castle the Schnees called home, was enormous. From the entrance hall that was many times larger than houses that even the wealthiest of families own, to the vaulted hallways with masterwork carved stone pillars alternating with empty suits of armor. Each individual room was spacious enough for a family to live in comfortably and adorned in tapestries and lit by high tech, but rustic, chandeliers. Many people would do anything to live in this place and have what the Schnees had. But, they didn't know what really happened behind closed doors. From the outside looking in, this was paradise and luxury. From the inside looking out, one could only see the metal bars of a jail cell. The cold twisted hallways that instilled a sense of loneliness. The strong gates that separated them from the rest of the world. It was a prison.

By the time Weiss had reached the next floor and scampered halfway down the hallway she was shaking. With the surge of emotions that flooded her young mind she couldn't tell if she was more angry or sad. Either way, the was only one cure. Without hesitation, the young girl slipped into the room and dove onto the bed, crying and shaking. Crawling under the sheets of her sister's bed she clutched one of the pillows tightly. Despite being thoroughly cleaned by the staff after her sister's last visit, Winter's scent still remained on the pillows. This was the only place in the house she ultimately felt safe. As Weiss began to warm up she also started to calm down. Memories of Winter's last visit home began to soothe the younger sister. It had been a month, last Spring break, since the older sister had visited and Weiss yearned to see her sister again. Even if her father scolded Winter for coddling her, it was one of the few indulgences that she had ever received.

After some time had passed, and her shaking had completely stopped, the maelstrom of anger and sadness had passed as well, Weiss made the trip to the other side of the house where her bedroom resided. Someone was bound to be looking for her soon and she didn't want the modicum of happiness she had managed to reclaim to be torn away from her with a lecture about being in Winter's room. It was a sign of weakness, and Schnees had to be perfect.

* * *

"Weiss."

"Father."

"Is there something you require? I have a very important meeting in a few minutes."

"Yes, Father. I have a request."

"You may ask."

"I wish to learn combat skills."

"And why is that?"

"I wish to constantly improve myself."

"Very well, we will get you a tutor once you have decided on your weapon. Will that be all?"

"No, Father. I have something else to ask."

"Is it about wanting a bunkbed again?"

"Yes, Father."

"After asking for the last five years, I thought you would learn that I will not indulge your puerile ventures."

"But it would be efficient for me and Winter to stay in the same room when she is visiting. That way we can see each other in the evening and I won't disrupt her-"

"No, Weiss. Your reliance on your sister is a weakness that others could exploit. And as you know, Schnees-"

"Must be perfect. I know, Father."

"Then never mention it again."

"Very well, Father."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Father."

"I will see you at dinner this evening."

The conversation hounded Weiss as she stood in the armory. She gave a slight smile knowing that she got away with lying to her father. While she wanted to eventually take up combat training in two years at the age of thirteen like everyone else, her reasons for starting early were different. Winter would be graduating from the Atlas academy in a few months. Weiss wanted to be able to impress her sister, to proudly wear a weapon to the ceremony. To earn a rare smile from her elder sister.

In the back of the room the head of security waited patiently. His purpose here was to help the young girl choose the weapon most suited for her; the weapon that was perfect for her. It would be unseemly for a Schnee to use a weapon they could not control completely.

Her ice blue eyes scanned the various weapons laid out before her. There were no firearms or ranged weapons of any sort on the table. A Schnee always met the foes in fair combat, ranged weaponry seen as dishonorable. Weiss scoffed to herself. With their hereditary semblance any fight between a Schnee and another combatant was anything but fair.

Glancing over a plethora of maces, mauls, and axes that were spread out in front of her she turned to the next table. It contained a collection of Staves, spears and halberds of the finest quality and made for someone her age, but it wasn't what she was looking for. On the table on the end lay the swords. They came in all shapes and sizes; falchions, sideswords, great swords, and finally the weapon she was looking for, a sabre. The young girl's desire to master that one weapon, identical to the weapon that Winter carried, was her ultimate goal. Walking over she picked the sabre up and walked over to the head of security.

The man merely gave her a her a slight nod and beckoned her to follow. On the way out he grabbed another sabre off the wall, eliciting an excited reaction from the heiress. She was going to start learning how to use the sword immediately, she was going to become a perfect Schnee just like her sister.

The pair entered the small training room and her ad hoc teacher began to give instructions. Placing their swords on the weapon rack by the entrance they started with basic stances and footwork. Over the course of the next two hours Weiss quickly mastered every move her teacher had her perform. Seemingly impressed by her attention and quick mastery, the older man retrieved the two sabres from the rack, handing the smaller one to the heiress. She smiled, it was her time to shine.

Showing her a basic series of cuts and slashes to be integrated into her footwork sequences he stood back. She assumed the starting stance and began to mimic the instructors motions precisely. Or that was her attempt. Every swing of the sword threw her off balance. Her arm lacked the strength and could neither move the sword fast enough to keep up with her feet or move the sabre in the same graceful arcs that the instructor had shown her. It frustrated her, but she managed to finish the sequence while neither losing her balance or letting her go of her poised expression. Glancing at her instructor she saw the expression she feared; he was frowning intensely.

"Do it again." The harsh laconic phrasing cut into the young girl's heart and filled her with doubt.

Weiss positioned herself back to the start of the sequence. The fatigue of the first set of movements was already setting in, but she was determined to get it right this time, to fix her mistakes from last time, to perfect the sabre.

After the first step and slash, she knew she wasn't doing any better. As she continued through the next chain of shuffles and cuts, the muscles in her arm and back screamed in pain and agony and she was unable to complete the form. Panting she turned back to her instructor, failing to prevent the failure show on her face.

The man contemplated her for a moment.

"Wait here." He ordered before stepping out of the room and quickly returned with a new weapon before the heiress could wonder what the man was up to.

"Try this." He offered the new blade to the heiress, taking the sabre from her.

Weiss inspected the new weapon and was hit with both a wave of shock and offense. She wanted to learn to use the sabre, to follow after and honor her sister, but the weapon she now held was an affront to all that. Her eyes traced the thin blade of the rapier she held in her hands. An archaic weapon that was used by nobles to oppress peasant. As a sword, it wasn't even that good of a weapon, it only achieved the height of power because the people the weapon was used on were disarmed peasants, or another noble armed with a matching rapier. As far as a Schnee was concerned, it was a the weapon of a coward who held false power.

She glared at her instructor. This was an unforgivable offence.

"Your body is too small to use a sabre properly." He offered, noticing the look her was receiving. "Your musculature can't handle the movements, your light steps and technical precision means that you can master this weapon to a higher level than you would with any other sword."

Weiss continued to glare at the man. This had to be a test. Her father was mocking her, but she would play along. She would master the rapier until she was strong enough to use a sabre. Should would show them she could be a true Schnee, she would perfect herself through any petty trial her father would throw at her.

* * *

Weiss rocked back on her heels as she waited outside the door of her father's study. She was happy that none of the staff was around to see that small action, but berated herself for performing it. It would not due for a Schnee to fidget, even when bored and she thinks no one is watching. Regaining a proper posture she let her hand fall onto the rapier that hung at her left side and her right hand rested on the satchel on her right hip that contained copious amounts of refined dust.

Stuck with the accursed blade for the last five years, she decided that she would embrace the curses and ill fortune her diminutive body provided her with. She worked on performing every style of rapier fighting she could find an instructor for. When she ran out of instructors, she began to create her own unorthodox movements in which to strike her opponents and catch them off guard. She knew she would never be strong enough to wield a sabre properly, but she could still seek perfection. She could still honor her sister by honing her combat skills. This was the reason that she was waiting for her father to be done with his latest business meeting, she wanted wanted to forge her own path to perfection and to do that she needed a request to be fulfilled.

The sound of a knob turning broke the heiress out of her thoughts. Ensuring that she was still properly postured, she patiently waited as a furious man, dressed in a exorbitantly expensive suit, stormed out of the office. This did not bode well. If a deal fell through then her father would be angry and more likely to deny her request. As she entered the office the smile on the elder Schnee's face told a different story.

"Father." Weiss bowed her head politely as she approached his desk.

"Weiss." He responded curtly, yet his voice contained a hint of pleasantness. "I hope my associate didn't bother you on the way out. He wasn't too pleased by the terms of our buyout of his company."

Now his happiness made sense. Nothing is more uplifting than bankrupting and absorbing a competing corporation.

"What did you need, Weiss?"

"I would like to make a request."

"You may make it, but I can't guarantee it will be granted."

"I turn wish to study at Beacon Academy in Vale"

Although the elder Schnee gave no outward reaction to the request, he hesitated in his response. This was not something he could have predicted his younger daughter, one so blindly infatuated in following her sister's footsteps, would have requested.

"Why?"

"If I am to become a true Schnee, and perfect myself in every endeavor, I must see more of the world and train in new environments under teachers that use different methods. Staying here in Atlas will only teach me things that we, as Schnees, already know. As well, Beacon is considered to be the best combat academy."

"I see. So you have put much thought into this?"

"Yes, Father."

"And you understand that while you most certainly meet the academic requirements, you most likely do not meet that combat requirements. You have several notable flaws, the predominant one is that of your endurance and defensive aura capabilities. You barely have half of what Winter had at your age."

"I know, Father."

"So how do you plan on passing their requirements? You understand that if you attempt to gain entrance you will have no assistance from me."

"Yes, Father. I have been working diligently with dust and its application on the battlefield both in its elemental form and manipulated with my glyphs."

"Very well, Weiss. You have just under a year to prepare. One month before applications are due you will be given a test of my making. If you pass the test, you may apply to the school."

"That will be perfect, Father. Thank you."

"One more thing."

"Yes, Father?"

"Seeing as your sixteenth birthday is next week, I have commissioned a new weapon for you. It is in the armory right now if you wish to inspect it, that is all."

"Thank you, Father."

"You are dismissed."

* * *

Air rushed past the heiress ears Weiss soared through the air. The instructions given to them for their initiation task were clear, and Weiss had the perfect candidate in mind for whom she wanted to be paired with. Forming a glyph a less than a meter below her, she dropped down on it and jumped off, slowing her descent and propelling herself in the last direction she saw Pyrrha Nikos.

After platforming off another dozen of her glyphs, she landed lightly in the forest. She had never been in a forest before by herself and quickly realized one important thing. She was utterly and completely lost. Undeterred, the heiress picked the direction she thought the warrior landed in. Pyrrha was the key to her success here. The redheaded gladiator was well known for both her prowess on the battlefield as well and achieving top marks in her education. There was no other option for the heiress and she had to find the taller girl before any else could. Anyone and everyone else would just get in her way.

Quickly approaching footsteps broke her out of her musing. She didn't realize she had paused in a small clearing, and before she realized what she was doing she turned to face the approaching person. Instead of the emerald green she was hoping for, the heiress met two pools of silver. The brunette dunce that had nearly blown her off the cliff in a dust explosion the prior day, and to make matters worse, the dolt was smiling at her. Letting her anger get the better of her, Weiss turned and stormed away. Rules be damned. She wasn't going to be partnered with that child.

Storming through the forest, intent on finding Pyrrha, she ignored the pleas being uttered behind her. Movement above her caught her eye and looking up she saw the only thing that could be worse. That blond idiot who attempted to woo her earlier; but she was wrong about what could be worse. Pinning the boy to the tree was the spear of none other than Pyrrha Nikos. The taller girl had already claimed a partner. Enraged, the heiress stomped back through the forest again, back to where she had left the red-tipped dunce.

Why couldn't life be fair to her just once? Cursed with an unloving father, a loving but absent sister, a diminutive frame that couldn't use a proper weapon, and no support from anyone, no matter where she turned. No one had ever helped her, they had only asked for what she could do for them. It didn't matter anymore. She would achieve perfection no matter what trials she had to pass. Grabbing the hood of the now exuberant Ruby Rose, she dragged the cheering girl off into the forest towards where she thought the temple resided.

* * *

She coughed again. The wheezing sound strained her ears as her throat ached. She felt something prop her head up and felt the cool sensation of a glass cup press against her lips. Water flowed shortly afterwards helping to soothe her parched throat.

She failed again. She should have easily been able to take out that flamboyant heckler. She didn't perform to the best of her abilities in the first fight of the Vytal tournament. She had the chance to prove herself to her sister, but fell short. This next fight, the doubles round, should have been her chance to redeem herself, but she fell short yet again. She sacrificed herself to let someone else achieve the victory. That was not the Schnee way. She was to be perfect and the last one standing no matter what the conflict.

One more cough forced its way out of her frail body and she felt a hand stroke her hair and a young, but soothing, voice near her ear. Cracking her eyes open she was flooded with an array of colors standing out against the white backdrop of the hospital room. Black, yellow, red; her teammates.

"Weiss, why did you do that?" Her eyes locked onto the two lilac eyes of her partner for the last match. The amount of worry she saw running unconstrained through those two eyes was something she was unfamiliar with. "What if that jet had been any stronger? What if this had been a real combat situation? We could have lost you."

"Because…" She croaked out. "He would of.."

She tried to finish the sentence, but her throat was too sore to continue. The question was, why did she care? The blonde should have just been means to an end. She should have let him take the shot and knocked him out of the match when his back was turned.

"I don't care what he would have done!" Yang replied, the concern still present in her voice. "I know I am a sore loser, but it was just a match. It isn't worth injuring yourself over."

Weiss tried to reply but her voice wouldn't cooperate. They had to win that match. She couldn't be on a team that lost, it simply wouldn't be allowed. The sensation of Ruby's fingers trailing through her hair again brought her back into focus and she noticed Blake was holding another cup of water up to her lips for her.

"Just please, promise me you won't do anything like that again." Yang continued.

Weiss took another sip from the cup, clearing her throat.

"I promise." She replied in earnest.

With those two words she saw a shift in her teammates expressions. It was first noticeable in Yang, her look of concern turned into a smile. It looked like the goofy smile the brawler normally wore but there was something different about it, yet hauntingly familiar. Her eyes shifted to Blake, the normally reserved faunus was also smiling. Her smile was different than that of the brawler, but there was still something there, identical to that which Yang's smile had. Turning at last to her own partner's smile, equally over the top as her blonde sister's smile, with that same familiar quality to it.

It hit her suddenly. The aspect of their smiles that was so familiar. It was the same smile she saw on Winter's face everytime she saw the elder Schnee. Even the day prior after chastising her about her performance in the arena, Winter still produced that same smile and there was only one word for it; acceptance.

Weiss didn't strive after her sister because she wanted to achieve the perfection she thought her sister had. She didn't want to master her studies to achieve the perfection she sought. She didn't leave Atlas to train at Beacon to achieve the perfection she thought her father sought. She had been so blind for all her life. She sought the acceptance her sister always showed her. She sought to accept herself. She ran to beacon to escape her father, and the fact he never would accept her.

She ran to beacon to fight the world on her terms, to be independent and strong. But when she got there, she realized that she ran right into the arms of the three people who would accept her unconditionally.

It was more than she could handle, she couldn't contain herself or her lie that she had made her life anymore. She broke down crying into the arms of the three girls standing around her.

She didn't want perfection anymore. She'd rather have their acceptance.

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **As I said previously, especially for anyone who knows these songs. The story is inspired by listening to the song and may only vaguely relate to the actual lyrics.**

 **Hope you all have a great week!**


	3. About That Tree

**Author's Note: XenonRaumzeit suggested this song to me. We promptly watched Treasure Planet multiple times then I started writing. Honestly, Jaune I don't mind, but he gets way to much screen time. Despite that there is a lot about him we don't know. Maybe if RT could spring for more comics or Manga to fill in some gaps so they can devote show time to team RWBY I would be happy.**

 **Also, in my Canon and main AU Pyrrha survives her fight with Cinder. Keep that in mind.**

 **Song: I'm Still Here - John Rzeznik**

 **Characters: Jaune Arc, Nadir Shiko**

 **#MyCanon #FromDust!AU**

* * *

Jaune stared at the shower wall in front of him as he vigorously washed the sweat out of his hair. His mind cast back to their recent match against team BRNZ and his mistakes during the match. While he didn't do much to help his team, in fact his impromptu meeting in the middle of the battlefield could have gotten some of them injured, he still called his performance in the arena a success.

Stepping out of the warm shower into the chilly locker room and drying himself off with his towel he dressed himself in his normal attire, jeans and a hoodie. He would go without his armor for the rest of the day to grant himself himself some reprieve to the heat that was typical around Vale in the early fall.

Poking his head out of the locker room he noticed Nora and Ren were already gone, the short redhead was most likely dragging her partner though the fairgrounds to look at all the games and exhibitions. She had been bothering them to let her try the games that allowed you to "test your strength" with using a hammer to launch a weight up a track to see if you can ring the bell at the top. With the help Pyrrha and himself, they had managed to keep Nora away from the game, and any property destruction that was likely to ensue, but with just Ren keeping the girl company she would most likely find her way to the game.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk towards the fairgrounds himself. Even though there were locker rooms in the floating colosseum, he and his team had decided to return to the Beacon locker room after their match. That way, Jaune wouldn't have to ride the airship, and deal with his inevitable motion sickness, by himself. Ren and Nora already had plans to scamper off back to the fairgrounds after the match and Pyrrha typically took extensive time after matches with her post combat rituals.

Being by himself did present him with a unique opportunity. He now had a chance to peruse the shops for a gift. All of the extra effort and training that Pyrrha had been giving him for the last few months had started to pay off. Not only did he survive their battle without having his aura drop below the 'ring out' amount, but he had also managed to maintain his composure for several minutes in one on one combat. Despite his brief mistake, and impromptu team meeting in the middle of the match, it all went smoothly. So, to thank his ever patient partner and mentor, he was going to find something special for her.

 _Yeah, just to say thanks._ He mused to himself. _No other reasons for this at all._

The multitude of shops surprised him. There were vendors from all four of the kingdoms plus independent vendors that had braved the travels from some of the villages that were scattered across Remnant's wildlands.

 _Hand-crafted or well-known? Which would Pyrrha like the most?_

Even if he didn't know which make the redhead would prefer, he did know one thing. The girl cherished practical gifts over anything else. Growing up as a well known fighter, and endorsed by many corporations, she had been provided with anything that she wanted. Most of which were frivolous or superfluous trinkets and knick-knacks, none of which she had brought with her to Beacon. That only punctuated the need for him to find the perfect gift.

Lost in his thoughts he nearly tripped over someone and caught himself on a display case at a vendor's stall. Gathering himself, he took in his surroundings. He was standing in front of a jewelry shop with his weight resting on top of a protective glass case that housed many necklaces crafted from various, and unique, precious metals, most of which also had precious gems embedded into them.

 _These are the gifts I am trying avoid._ He groaned inwardly, frustrated. _Not only are these out of my price range but Pyrrha always wears that gorget. Most of these would look good on her, she has such a nice neckline…_

That last thought brought a flush to his face and he hurriedly left the vendor's stall. Another hour passed by and he was still unable to find a gift for his friend. Slightly disheartened, he bought himself a pretzel and left the fairgrounds to find a quiet place to eat. Wandering past a row of shrugs he headed towards a bench that he knew that was in a more secluded area as he knew that Pyrrha would be out on the grounds soon and would most likely be looking for him. As he headed through the gardens he caught site of the bench and, to his displeasure, there was a young man with pink hair already sitting on it.

He was about to turn around when he noticed the slumped posture of the boy. The look of utter loneliness and despair that he wore on his face reminded Jaune of himself before arriving at Beacon. When he would look in the mirror and see that same visage staring back at him. It was the same look on he saw on Ruby's face that inspired him to say hello and help her off the ground when he first saw her.

With a slight sigh he wrapped his pretzel up and put it in one of the pouches on his belt before walking up to the bench.

"Hey, I'm Jaune."

The boy didn't react to his introduction and continued to hollowly stare at the ground in front of him.

"Uhh… mind if I sit here?"

Again, the boy didn't respond to him. Nor did he flinch as Jaune plopped down onto the bench next to him.

"Oh, hey! I recognize you now. You were on the team that fought team RWBY in the first round." Jaune gave a slight smile, even though he knew that it wouldn't be seen. After a pause, Jaune began to ramble, hoping to get his silent associate to open up. "You guys did quite well and lasted a long time against them. As a team they have never lost a sparring match against other first and second years, they're incredible. Even without that Yang and Weiss are unstoppable duelists, the only one that can compare is Pyrrha, no one else even holds a candle to them. But that Arslan chick on your team, she gave Yang a run for her money, that's pretty incredible and…"

"Why are you wasting your time talking to a stranger?" He finally responded.

"Well, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." Jaune responded, silently congratulating himself on leaving the 'my mom always says' out of it.

"Why would you want to be friends with me?" He scoffed back.

"Why wouldn't I?" Jaune replied lightly. "Plus you look like you could use a friend right now. You look troubled."

"That's why I am here, where no one else was. I wished to be troubled in peace."

"Well, you can't have a friend where no one else is." Jaune retorted, he knew where this conversation was going. It reminded him too many of his own conversations with himself and things he now regretted saying to other people.

"I am not worthwhile to be someone's friend." The boy looked away from him. "I am just useless at everything."

 _And there it is._ Jaune thought. _He is in the same place that I was when I first got to Beacon, when I let people like Cardin treat me like dirt, when I wouldn't even listen to Pyrrha._

"Nope!"

"What?" He responded, the confusion evident in his voice.

"Just something a friend always told me when I was down on myself." Jaune chuckled. "It was actually the leader of team RWBY who would pick me back up. She always would take the time to remind me what was at stake whenever I tried to convince myself that I was worthless."

"You don't know anything about me." The boy snapped back at him.

"True." The blond took a moment, thinking of his options. "As I said my name is Jaune, Jaune Arc. Your's would be?"

"Nadir Shiko."

"Well there Nadir. I know something about you now. We're friends now, right?"

"Sure." Nadir eyed him suspiciously.

Jaune silently kicked himself. What a manipulative thing to say. He remember the first time those words came out of Cardin's mouth.

"What is bothering you? I know it sucks that you guys got knocked out of the first round of the tournament, but you were good enough to qualify in the first place."

"I'm bothering me!" The pink-haired boy yelled at the ground as he slumped forward again, placing his hands on his face. "I screwed it up for me team. I have done nothing to help them. I am a terrible fighter, my academics are failing, and because of me, and my inability to do anything, Reese got injured during the match. I keep trying to prove myself, but I can't. I should have just left school during the first term, when I barely passed. At least my teammates would have had a chance to succeed."

"So." Jaune made sure to keep his voice encouraging and level. "You're stuck in a tree too."

"What?" Nadir asked again, his confusion showing through his anger.

"Would it surprise you to tell you that I was in the same boat when I showed up to Beacon?"

"Yes. I saw your fight." He responded. "You did well, and you were chosen to be team leader."

"Well, being a team leader is the only thing I have going against me here." Jaune admitted. "But everyone was confused at Ozpin's decision for that. When I first arrived at Beacon I didn't even have my aura unlocked… let alone ever fought a person or grimm before."

"Didn't you have to pass a test to g-"

"Look, not important right now." Jaune sheepishly interrupted. "The point is when I first showed up to Beacon I was the worst fighter in the entire school and my grades barely skimmed above failing. Have you asked one of your teammates for help?"

"No." Nadir whispered back. "I could never do that."

"Why not?"

"It's just… I have to do this myself. I mean, Arslan has tried to be good partner and offered to help me train me, Bolin has tried to help me with my schoolwork, and Reese... she's always been there to pull me out of trouble. If they help me I won't have proven myself, I will only have gotten there because of someone else. I will just let them down again. I want to be someone they can rely on."

"I thought that once, too." Jaune reassured him. "When I was young I couldn't do anything right, but I had friends who cared for me. They always fought my battles for me, protected me from bullies, and helped me with my school work. They were the best friends anyone could ask for.

"One day, we were walking home from school and the grimm alarm went off. Our village hadn't been attacked by grimm for years. At that time we didn't have a Huntsman or Huntress at our village, it was too low risk of an area and the local militia had gotten complacent. As we ran for the nearest building a creature jumped in front of us. It wasn't much, just a young beowolf, something even a first year could take on. My friends had just graduated combat school but they had never fought a beowolf before and neither had their weapons on them. Like always, I ran. I ran away and climbed a tree while they fought for their lives. In the end they managed to kill the beowolf, but at a cost.

"Both were admitted to the hospital in critical condition. The worst part was I could have done something. They could have been treated earlier but I was stuck in that stupid tree. I couldn't climb down, I was too high up to jump, and too scared to think. Instead they bled on the ground for almost a half an hour before my screams attracted someone else's attention. After that I left home. I didn't stay for them to recover. I submitted my application to Beacon and traveled here. Through some… miracle they accepted my application."

"So you never found out if they recovered?" Nadir asked as Jaune took a breath.

"My parents later contacted me and told me they were both in stable condition." He admitted. "But they were the reason I couldn't accept help when I got here. I thought I had to do everything on my own. I had to prove myself so I could return and see my friends one day with my head held high. Instead, that just lead to me hurting my teammates. Especially my partner, who was always there to pick me up when I got into trouble. Every time I pushed her away she patiently waited for me to come back. Once I changed my mind, and let her help me, it made a world of difference. I haven't regretted my decision once. And, after this festival is over, I was planning on visiting my friends back home. I think I can finally face them again."

"I see." The pink-haired boy complated. "Maybe I will ask them for help. But, how can I face them when I caused them to lose the match? They're probably angry with me. I can't ask them right now."

"If they are real friends, they won't blame you." Jaune countered, before being distracted by the sound of footfalls. "Though… why don't you ask them now?"

"Huh?" Nadir responded, barely having a chance to look at the approaching group of people before being rushed by a blue and green blur.

"Nadir!" Reese shouted as she ran forward and enveloped the melancholy boy in a hug. "I-We were so worried about you! We've been looking for you for at least an hour!"

"Let the boy breathe, Reese." Arslan interjected as she came to a stop a few feet away. "Nadir, introduce us to your friend."

"Oh." He looked abashed before answering. "This is Jaune, Leader of JNPR. We just met, but he has already proven to be a good friend."

"Nice to meet you, Jaune." Arslan stated as the rest of the team also gave salutations to the blond. "Anyway, Nadir. Aren't you hungry? We should go get something to eat. You're welcome to join us if you wish, Jaune."

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to go meet with my team."

Both the boys stood up and Jaune made to leave as Reese looped her arm through one of Nadir's and started to pull him towards the fairgrounds. As Jaune left in his own direction he caught part of their conversation.

"Aren't you guys angry with me? I cost you the match. Reese, you were injured because of me."

"Don't be give yourself so much credit, it wasn't your fault." Reese chided back. "We couldn't be angry with you if we tried. You did your best."

"Uh.. thanks." Nadir responded before freeing his arm. "Reese, Bolin, could you two go ahead, I need to ask Arslan something."

The positive replies from the teammates were the last thing Jaune heard before he was out of earshot.

 _I think things will turn out just fine for him._ Jaune patted himself on the back before focusing his mind back on his task. _Now time for the gift for Pyrrha._

He made his way back to the jewelry shop. He thought he had spied some emerald stud earrings that were hopefully it was in his price range. They would look perfect on Pyrrha and she would be able to wear them with her battle gear. He quickly found them when he got to the shop itself and was quite pleased with the price on them. After pointing them out to the shopkeeper he moved to the cash register to pay for them when he felt someone push him in the back.

"Watch it, blondy." The an angry gruff voice behind him warned.

Jaune whipped around, placing his hand on his sword in case he needed it. Once he had turned all the way around he noticed the person who had pushed him wasn't scowling, but instead was smiling. As he took in more of their face, scars and all, he quickly came to realize this person was someone he had not seen in a long time. All he could do was stare at her and try to make sense of what was taking place.

"Jaune!" The girl spoke up.

"What… what are you doing here?" Jaune was flabbergasted, it was one of his friends that he just got done talking about to Nadir. He began to silently panic, looking from side to side. It was too soon, he hadn't proven himself. He couldn't ask for their forgiveness yet. What should he do? What should he say? Fortunately, the girl filled in the void of sound coming from his open mouth.

"Well, I was going to tell you that Pierre and I had just gotten accepted into Shade Academy, but then that nastry grimm had to show up and ruin the whole surprise." The girl chirped up again. "But you disappeared afterwards and I never got the chance to tell you. No one knew where you went and your parents wouldn't say anything. We were both so upset that we had to leave without saying goodbye to you."

"Our team didn't qualify for the tournament." She continued with a wink. "But we heard about a certain blond who lead his team using an archaic weapon. So we just had to check it out and here you are! You even won your first match. We're so proud of you, Jaune. We should really go find Pierre, he's dying to meet up with you! We decided to split up in hopes of finding you!"

"But… aren't you angry with me? Why don't you hate me?"

She stepped forward and gave Jaune a hug.

"There is nothing to hate. We were doing our jobs, though you could have at least called, or written or something."

"Sorry." Jaune blinked his tears back, he wouldn't let himself cry in a public place again. He turned to grab the purchased jewelry off the counter, discretely wiping his eyes. "Hey, you guys want to meet my team?"

* * *

 **Thanks to Zelindsay for editing this and helping me write a non-lame ending. She also informed me that Joan of Arc's had a brother named Pierre, that is where the name comes from.**

 **Happy 4th of July to all of my American readers. Go celebrate with explosions!**

 **To all my non-American readers, go light off some fireworks anyways! Find something to celebrate, it'll be worthwhile.**


	4. Icebergs Sink Ships

**Just because. And don't hate me.**

 **Icebergs Sink Ships**

 **Song: Careless Whispers - Seether (Cover, because it's way better.)  
Characters: Weiss Schnee, Neptune Vasilias**

 **#MyCanon**

* * *

"And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense" Weiss crossed her arms as she addressed her leader's most recent actions.

"You're just mad because he whooped butt." Ruby nudged the heiress' shoulder in a playful manner, knowing that it would elicit a more indignant response from the other girl.

"That was a draw at best." She replied in the predictable exasperated manner that Ruby couldn't help to grin at.

Ruby was ecstatic and couldn't stop smiling at her partner's most recent actions. Not only did she admit to Ruby being her friend or, more specifically, only friend to the elder Schnee, but she didn't also rebuke Ruby for her playful mannerisms after Winter and Qrow's duel.

"Come on." Weiss spoke up after a short pause. "Let's go congratulate team SSSN on their victory."

"Do we hafta?" Ruby groused back. "I don't want to deal with Sun and Yang fighting over Blake, plus you'll run off somewhere with Neptune."

"What about Sage and Scarlet?" Weiss inquired.

Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "Sage doesn't really talk, and Scarlet has been all mopey lately."

"Ok." Weiss carefully contemplated her options. "What if I buy you some cookies afterwards?"

"Works for me!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully as she grabbed Weiss by the hand and started dragging her teammate back towards the stadium. "But you also owe me strawberries too!"

"Wait, what?" Weiss complained as she willingly let herself be pulled along, not even trying to free her hand. "I never agreed to that."

"It's my new normal fee." Ruby teased the her before activating her semblance, dragging the heiress along with her.

* * *

Neptune rechecked his hair in the mirror and made eye contact with that handsome devil staring right back him. Giving himself one more go over in the mirror, he turned to retrieve his jacket that was hanging off the door of one of the lockers.

"Ready, bro?" A voice near him spoke up.

Neptune looked over to see Sun approach the adjacent mirror and run his hands through his hair, making sure it had that perfect 'just rolled out of bed' look. Even if the blond wouldn't admit it, he spent more time on his hair than the rest of his team combined.

"Yeah, just about." Neptune affirmed. "Just need to get my jacket."

"Cool, cool." Sun responded as he headed out of the locker room. "I'm going to go say hi to Blake and the rest of her team while we wait. I mean, you'll probably be at least another 15 minutes."

Glaring at the back of his friend's head, Neptune had to admit that there was truth to his statement. He had to make sure there were no wrinkles on his jacket and, when he put it on, he had to make sure that the jacket didn't knock his tie askew or ruffle the bottom of his white dress shirt. Then he needed to make sure the the collar was spread out and popped correctly. Finally, the sleeves had to be pushed up and tightened just right, so they sat just below his elbows. It took a lot of work to look this good, but he always turned heads so it was worth it.

Looking in the mirror again, he made sure to smooth out any extraneous wrinkles on his clothing and check his hair one more time.

"Alright." He gave a pep talk to his reflection. "You can do this. Kiss the girl and seal the deal. You'll have nothing to worry about. A long distance relationship from Mistral to Vale won't be hard to manage. Get the name, the prestige, and, who knows, maybe a happily ever after."

The harsh clack of heeled footwear echoed through the locker room as someone else entered. The newcomer spoke as they approached him from the side.

"Your team performed quite adequately." Weiss stated as she closed the last few feet with a playful skip.

"Thanks, Snow Angel." Neptune gave the best smile he could manage. "Your team did great out there too."

"So, you were watching us." Weiss returned the look of affection. "That is pleasing to hear."

"I am sure it is." The boy winked as he closed the gap between the two of them. "I really enjoyed watching you fight. It was... enchanting."

Neptune stepped in close to the much shorter girl and wrapped her in an embrace. Weiss was known for her adamant objections against physical contact with people, and he felt the hesitation and tension in her body before she reluctantly returned the hug. After only a brief moment of contact Weiss freed herself from the arms that encircled her, but she still wore a happy visage.

"Oh, I got this for you." He quickly dug into his pockets to remove a small box from his pocket before presenting it to the Heiress. "If you would honor me, my lady."

The cheesy line earned him a soft scowl, but he was certain that he would score big points with the gift. Plus, everyone knew that girls only pretended to hate pick up lines.

Weiss inspected the box carefully. A mix of curiosity and growing concern shone in her eyes.

"I, uh, may have had help picking that out." Neptune mumbled, the pink tinge of embarrassment crept onto his cheeks. "I was informed that your favorite color is red. Mine is too, so I thought I would get you a gift that we both could appreciate while you wore it."

With a nod, Weiss slid a manicured fingernail under the lip of the jewelry box and flipped the lid off with a practiced movement. Inside were earrings, simple studs with a single ruby embedded into each one.

"They're beautiful." Weiss stated as she gazed at the gemstones, brushing one of her fingers on the crafted metal.

"I am glad you like them!" Neptune crowed in happiness. "You can wear them to dinner with me."

"T-Tonight?" The Heiress looked flustered as her eyes darted down to inspect her clothing. "But aren't we supposed to be going out with the rest of our teams? I am not wearing anything appropriate for a date either."

"Don't worry about it." Neptune ventured to move closer to the white-haired girl again. "I already told Sun where we are going. He said that he would get the rest of them to head over to the restaurant early. As for clothes, you look as beautiful as always, Snow Angel. Where we are going isn't as upscale as you are probably used to for a date, but its exclusive. The Vasilias family name doesn't pull as much weight here as the Schnee name does, but it gets the job done."

"I know that the Vasilias are a well-known and powerful family in Mistral." Weiss took a half step back towards him, causing his heart to start racing. "My father will be pleased to know that I found a man with a strong lineage."

Reaching out to make contact with her, Neptune slide one hand to the small of her back and cupped her chin in his other hand and tilted her head up. He still felt the same tense posture in the girl, but she wasn't offering any resistance. His stomach knotted as though a horde of butterflies had awoken all at once. Slowly lowering his head he got within an inch of her lips. So close, yet so far. He could feel the tickle of Weiss' breath on his own lips; all he had to do was move one more inch. An inch that might as well be an insurmountable cliff.

"I can't do this." He whispered.

"Then let me." Weiss offered, moving her hand behind his neck to pull herself closer.

Releasing her cheek he brushed her arm off of him and pulled back.

"I have to do this." Weiss pleaded.

He stared at the girl, she didn't look sad or rejected, just desperate. She was probably feeling the same thing as him. The butterflies in his stomach weren't those of excitement and anticipation, they were those of shame and betrayal.

"I can't." He responded.

"I can't either." Weiss relented. "But I need to."

"So do I. I can't though." Neptune sighed and backed farther away. "What are we doing?"

"Trying to get our parents off our backs? Being the picture perfect heir with the corporate approved marriage?" Weiss joked lightly. "This can still work as a long distance, never talk to each other thing."

"Yes, but one day it has to come together. And…" Neptune trailed off, sadness showing in his eyes.

"I know. I see the way he looks at you." Weiss tried to comfort the boy. "It would destroy the friendship between you and more."

"And what about you?"

"I…"

The blue-haired boy gave her an appraising look.

"It would never work." Weiss murmured forlornly.

"You don't know that." He lightly chastised her.

"Prove it." Weiss straightened up with her retort. "No more trying to look cool in front of your friends. You have reservations, don't you?"

"Yes." He affirmed.

"Take him instead of me. This is your chance to stand up for yourself to your parents."

"Alright, Snow Angel." Neptune thought for a moment. "If this goes well, you're up next."

"It's a deal." Weiss smiled smugly before beckoning him towards the exit.

The two hunters-in-training meandered towards the exit, ready to rejoin with their teammates. As they got near the exit of the locker room they saw two very familiar silhouettes.

"Your favorite color is red, right?" Weiss joked.

"Yup, always there when you need it." Neptune replied. "Hey, Scarlet. Ruby."

"You dolt." Weiss addressed her partner. "Aren't you supposed to be at dinner with everyone else?"

"Uh… no?" The cloaked girl poked the tips of her fingers together. "Sun was trying to corral everyone out and said something that made Yang grumpy. I didn't want to be around them, so I slipped out and decided to wait for my BFF!"

"And you?" The heiress turned her eye towards the red themed boy standing by the entrance.

"I… uh…" He stammered, avoiding eye contact with both Weiss and Neptune.

"It's ok, buddy." Neptune walked up to the suddenly sheepish boy and threw his arm around his shoulders. "Why don't we ditch these these clodhoppers and go get dinner elsewhere."

Scarlet merely nodded and let himself be guided away, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone by the entrance of the locker rooms.

"Ugh… thank goodness…" Ruby whined. "I thought he was going to be mopey forever."

"Those two would make a good couple." Weiss stated offhandedly, turning to look at her partner.

"They look like they should be in a boyband like the Achievemen." The reaper joked. "So, let's meet up with everyone else?"

"Yes, but first." Weiss paused to smack the brunette's arm. "Why would you tell Neptune my favorite color is red?"

"It isn't?"

"No. For your information, it's baby blue." Weiss explained. "What made you think it was red?"

"I saw you standing at the jewelry store staring at those ruby earrings muttering something about favorite colors and red." Ruby sulked. "So when Neptune asked me for a gift idea that's what I told him."

"Oh." Weiss realized what happened. It almost made her chuckle until she remembered what Neptune and her agree to. Slipping her arm into Ruby's, she started to pull the younger girl towards the airship docks, her other hand reaching into her pocket to touch the box containing the earrings. "Let's go get meet up with everyone. And remind me to give some lien to Neptune for his 'gift'." Giving one last look the the red clad girl skipping happily alongside her, she smiled. "I also think we will get you some strawberries for dessert too."

* * *

 **No one hates me, right?**

 **Do I ship Neptune and Scarlet? You bet I do.**

 **But I am a hardcore Bumblebee and Whiterose shipper. No Iceberg or Eclipse for me.**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


	5. FRSTy Halloween - October Moncon

**Halloween is closing in on us. I figured that Remnant would have some sort of Remembrance Festival.**

 **This was also written for the Reddit Moncon for the month of Halloween.**

 **This does take place in my AU, so Pyrrha and Penny are alive and it is RWBY's third year.**

 **Some OCs appear that are in a different story of mine, but they just take the place of 1st year students.**

 **FRSTy Halloween  
** **Song: Riboflavin Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Polyunsaturated Blood - 45 Grave  
** **Characters: [Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee], Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long**

 **#FromDust!AU**

* * *

"Ooohh!" Ruby squealed as she exited the bathroom, having just changed into her costume. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Really?" Weiss scowled at the fabric that she held in her hands. "These are the costumes we are going with?"

"You betcha!" Yang exclaimed back with a twang. She used one hand to tip the stetson that she wore on her head and let her other hand rest on the prop revolver she wore holstered on her belt. "It's a damn shame you don't approve little lady." She added with a wink.

"To be fair, Weiss." Ruby continued as she made sure that all her additional bullets were the right side up in their loops. "We gave you a choice, and you pushed off getting a costume until it was too late."

"I was busy! My father keeps pestering me to officially announce my intentions of taking the reins of the SDC, we had exams to study for, and then we had our Remembrance missions!" Weiss pulled the fabric of her costume through her fingers again. The fabric was high-quality, and the embroidery on it was sturdy as well. "Fine. Where did you get this?"

"Yang made it." Blake spoke up as she exited the bathroom, having gone in to change after Ruby.

Blake twirled as she walked across the room. The tavern style dress she wore fluttered through the air. The color scheme she wore matched the yellow, black, and purple cowboy outfit that Yang was wearing. Looking again at her own costume, Weiss noticed that the colors matched that of Ruby's cowboy outfit.

"You made this?"

"Yup!" The newly minted cowgirl spun her pistol around her finger before reholstering it. "Now go put it on! I think Ruby's eager to get her tavern wench."

The heiress sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with the forefinger and thumb on her right hand before reluctantly slipping off into the bathroom to change. When Weiss left the room Yang stepped forward to fix her little sister's collar.

"You doing ok, Rubes? You took a hard hit during our mission." Yang checked on the bruise that was developing under Ruby's chin. "Trainees aren't usually sent out on the patrol missions so far from the villages."

The week before Remembrance Day all licensed hunters take missions nonstop in order to temporarily drive grimm away from all towns and cities. Hunter academies don't hold classes that week either and encourage the hunters-in-training to assist in running missions closer to town, tracking down any grimm that were missed in the sweep. The reason such a hard push against the grimm is made was because, on the evening of Remembrance Day, which was today, ceremonies are held to honor the dead. The negative feelings generated by such ceremony are then negated by celebrations of happiness and life that last for the next two days. Costumes have always been a key component for the celebration on the evening Remembrance Day, especially for the youth. But, the whimsical behavior slowly pervaded society, and now almost every participant wore one.

Team RWBY on the other hand, as well as other select third and fourth year teams, were given special permission to assist hunters in some of the more dangerous missions. During the course of her mission, Ruby was fighting a beowolf and accidently tripped over a root, catching the full brunt of the grimm's attacks.

"Yeah." The brunette touched the fading blue and yellow spot, her aura healing it more rapidly than what would naturally happen.

"We can take the next airship to Vale." Yang declared affirmatively. Finally, getting her sister's collar to sit perfectly, Yang took a step back to admire her handiwork. "JNPR will understand if we show up late, and FRST and CFVY are already at the main Plaza in Vale helping the stall vendors set up for the trick-or-treaters."

"I'm fine, It's just…" Ruby cast her gaze towards her feet. "Our first year here Weiss didn't celebrate with us, and last year the festival wasn't held because of Cinder and the White Fang. This year her father tried to force her to come back to Atlas for Remembrance Day and stay through All-Souls Day. She barely managed to convince him to let her stay here, so this is the first time that we'll get to celebrate as a team. I want to make sure we have a good time."

"Don't worry!" The blonde pulled down the front of Ruby's hat. "She'll love it. As well as the gift you got her for All-Hunters Day tomorrow."

"Bwuah? Y-Yang!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell."

Mere seconds after those words left the brawler's mouth than the bathroom door swung open again. Ruby blinked as she took in the form of her partner, heiress to the monolithic, and traditionally conservative, Schnee Dust Company standing in the door wearing a somewhat sexy tavern girl's dress that mirrored the red, white, and black coloration of her gallant cowboy outfit.

"Don't you think this is a little, revealing?" Weiss muttered as she tugged on the front her dress to diminish the amount of cleavage that was showing.

"I think it looks great!" Yang cheered back. "Fits perfectly too."

"Ruby thinks it looks perfect too." Blake teased from her spot by Yang, as she noticed Ruby's face blush to match the color of her namesake.

"Stop harassing her, you two." Weiss snipped as she made her way across the room to slip her arm through her partner's. "Anyways, Yang. This fits too well, how did you get my measurements?"

"Heh, I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it, Princess." Yang's false twang returned as she winked at the fencer. "I have my secret ways."

"Lecher." Weiss scoffed as she pulled Ruby towards the door. "Let's just go before I stuff your sister's hat down her throat."

Yang raised an eyebrow as Weiss dragged a beleaguered Ruby out the door before turning to Blake.

Partially bowing and she gestured to the door. "After you, m'lady?"

The faunus rolled her eyes before snagging her partner's arm and escorting her out of the room in a much friendlier manner than the previous duo.

* * *

Ruby watched with interest as Nora bounced around the airship, laughing maniacally as the rest of Ruby's team commented to each other.

"When she said mad scientist, I was thinking more evil than crazy."

"I guess we thought wrong."

"Just let her be. The more energy she uses now, the less like likely she is to run off during the festival."

Team RWBY had arrived to the airship dock and boarded before JNPR had gotten there. They appropriated a section of seating that was two rows of five seats that were facing each other. Nora, unsurprisingly, was the the first person on the team to have arrived. She was wearing a lab coat with a pair of goggles barely hanging onto the hair that looked as though it were gelled and then mussed up to look messy. It made more sense when she said that she was dressed as a mad scientist, but the actions made it seem more like she had just escaped from an insane asylum.

"Maybe she misunderstood the mad part?"

"Who knows."

"Nora!" Ren's voice echoed through the passenger compartment of the ship.

Upon hearing her friend's voice, Nora's demeanor changed instantly. Calmly walking towards where team RWBY was sitting, she sat in an empty seat.

"Right here, Renny!" She called as she patted the seat next to her.

With a sigh, the boy sat in the vacant seat next to her. He was wearing an identical lab coat, with a pair of goggles resting on his head. While the majority of his hair remained in its standard ponytail, the unbound parts were also sticking up in random directions. Following closely behind Ren and taking two of the last seats in the section were Jaune and Pyrrha who were dressed as… something.

Jaune shifted in his seat so the the quiver he was wearing on his back wouldn't dig into his spine as much. The boy look like he hadn't shaved in the last week, giving him a sparse blond goatee. Pushing the hood down, the green tunic and pants he wore reminded Ruby of something she had seen before, but she couldn't quite place it. Focusing on Pyrrha's outfit, while not as bright, was just as outlandish as Jaune's. Clad in all black; leggings, leotard, boots, and leather jacket, she also had used dust to temporarily dye her hair blonde. As with Jaune's costume, something about it seem familiar.

"And you two are supposed to be?" Ruby inquired.

"Black Canary and Green Arrow, of course." Pyrrha smiled joyfully back. "They're characters from one of Jaune's comic books."

"Ooh, that's why they looked familiar!" Ruby fought the urge to squee over the costumes. While not exact, they were quite close to the character's appearance in the books. "Though I would have gone with Wonder Woman."

"Pfft, Starfire is the best." Yang interjected.

"You only like her because of her hair." Blake rolled her eyes at the brawler. "Zatanna is the best choice though."

"What on Remnant are you talking about?" Weiss interruption left all eyes staring at her.

"Ruby." Yang turned towards her sister with a sigh and a serious look on her face. "How could you date such an uneducated girl?"

"Well…" Ruby's eyes cast downward in shame as she poked her index fingers together. "I was kinda hoping I could convert her."

Tension grew in the air as Yang continued to silently stare fiercely at her little sister, driving the girl into more and more of a shamed and apologetic posture. As the situation seemed to degrade, no one was willing to break the silence. Finally, as Weiss had just summoned up the courage to try to defuse the situation, both sister's broke out in raucous laughter.

"See, Ren." Nora nudged her seatmate. "That is how you need to laugh as a mad scientist."

"You should have seen the looks on your faces!" Ruby teased as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Of course we knew that you would have never read a comic book before." Yang continued to chuckle at the heiress' reaction. "You were brought up in an ice castle, devoid of fun, but you're going to be a huntress now and- agh!"

Yang flinched as her partner flicked her ear, successfully distracting her from being able to continue chiding the Atlesian.

"Become a huntress." Weiss whispered to herself as she turned to look out the window at the landscape and approaching city. "If only were that easy."

* * *

"It's not fair, Blakey." Yang, still enraptured in the conversation of costumes, lead the way down the ramp off of the airship. "Ruby and I have always matched each other for halloween. As much as I enjoy that, it's prevented me from dressing up as something I have always wanted to."

"And what would that be?" Blake deadpanned back. "A ballerina?"

"Nooo…" The blonde wailed back as she feigned wiping a tear from her eye. "I've always wanted to be a princess. I finally have someone I can coerce into being my knight, but Ruby refuses to dress up as a princess."

"I feel so bad for you." The faunus' response was drenched in sarcasm as she brought the palm of her hand to her face and slowly shook her head.

"Don't be such a downer!" Yang pivoted and spun Blake around with her so they were facing back towards the ship where everyone else was disembarking. "Plus, Rubes would look absolutely adorable in a dress and Weiss would make quite the knight, don't you think?"

"Ruby is like, eight inches taller than her." Blake cast a sidelong glance to her own partner and realized the flaw in her logic.

Both sisters had been constantly growing since their time at Beacon. Now at nineteen years old, Yang stood over six feet tall, barefoot. Ruby had an even more dramatic growth spurt and was even taller than Blake now, though still shorter than her older sister. She, and Weiss, hadn't grown much heightwise since their first year.

"Tall girls can be pretty princesses to, ya know." Wheeling around to continue on towards the main plaza, where their other friends were waiting for them, Yang's voice changed from boisterous to concerned. "Though if we are talking about someone needing saving, what's up with Weiss?"

Blake, as quickly as the hem of her dress allowed, scurried to catch up to Yang's larger stride.

"It's her father." She started to explain. "He… he doesn't want her to become a huntress."

"Why not?"

"From what I understand, first from Weiss being careless with her phone calls, then, from her conversations with Ruby, he never wanted her to go to Beacon in the first place. Why do you think that she is the heiress, when she has an older sister? Winter gave up her rights when she joined the military. When Weiss told her father she intended to go to Beacon, he tried to make things as difficult for her as possible. Remember what she said earlier today?"

"Uh… no?" Yang admitted as she shoved her hands into her pockets and racked her brain for what the diminutive girl could have said.

"She said her father keeps pestering her to officially announce her intentions to take the reins of the SDC. Doing that would mean that she wouldn't graduate from Beacon or get her Hunter's License. When he started doing that, she came to me for advice on the matter."

"That is just downright dirty for him to do that. But…" Yang glanced at her partner from the corner of her eye. "Why didn't she come talk to me about it? I could have helped."

"To be honest, Yang. Despite the fact that you're only a few months older than her, you are the closest things she has had to a maternal figure." The faunus grabbed the crook of her partner's arm again to help equalize their paces. "She's always trying to impress you. Why do you think she has been trying to make puns like you? She was so willing to sacrifice herself in the Vytal tournament, and she believes everything you say. She doesn't want to disappoint you."

"Oh… I see. Well maybe we can still help from the sidelines."

* * *

Weiss was still lost in her thoughts as they exited the ship. Idly following the red, white, and black figure that was her team leader, she continued to muse about her situation. While she wanted to become a Huntress and help those who couldn't help themselves, she still had hopes that if she were to become part of the SDC she could help from the inside. The second option would be far more difficult, as her father would probably run the company until the day he died.

As their group reached the main plaza they easily spotted team CFVY. Coco and Fox were both wearing what looked to be robes with witch and wizard hats, respectively. Though the cut of their robes made them look more fashionable that what would normally be expected, Coco's doing most likely. Velvet didn't look much different; sticking to her normal brown theme, she was wearing a dress with a white shoulder cowl. Yatsuhashi on the other hand, was wearing jeans, a short sleeve blue and white jacket over a black shirt, and had a red and white baseball cap sitting on his head.

"Sup, kiddos?" Coco called to them as they approached. "Ready for the less glamorous part of a Huntresses' job?"

A brief nod from Ruby lead to the distribution of tasks for all of the members of teams RWBY and JNPR to participate in. The jobs weren't as bad as Coco had tried to insinuate, and Weiss was grateful for the distraction. She and her team were charged with the responsibility of helping set up one of the dust stations near the main bonfire.

The bonfires dotting the city were an important part of the ceremony that was to be held at dusk and last until midnight. At dusk, everyone takes time to remember loved ones who have perished to either the grimm or other causes. A dust offering is then cast into the bonfire. As most people didn't have the extra money, booths were set up by the private business, cities, hunter academies, and combat schools that provided dust for free, as well as accepted monetary donations for those who desired to provide them. After midnight, the festival changed tones, as it changed to All-Hunters day. At that time, it was common for civilians to give a small gift to a Huntsman or Huntress who had personally helped them.

Between one of her trips of carrying a crate of dust from a storehouse to one of the kiosks near the bonfire, Weiss spotted a curious sight. As small ferret faunus was standing to the side observing all the volunteers who were hard at work. Two things bubbled to the top of Weiss' mind, the first was that she recognized the faunus. The second was that the faunus was wearing a very familiar brown and yellow outfit.

"Sange?" Weiss set down the crate she was carrying and approached the idle faunus. "Aren't you supposed to helping out? And why are you dressed like that?"

"Well…" The first-year mumbled back. "I was trying to help and I dropped a crate. My teammates said I shouldn't worry and could just provide emotional support. And this was Ferrum and Rain's idea."

"Wait, does that mean Fer-"

"Weiss!" Two heavy hands landed on the heiress' shoulders as Ruby skipped up behind her. "You're supposed to be helping! Who are you talki- Sange?! You're… how come…"

Ruby's started giggling as she inspected the faunus' costume.

"Yang! Yang, come here!" The brunette called through the crowd.

Moments after Ruby called for her, Yang, followed closely by Blake, materialized from the crowd. Ruby pointed her sister to Sange, causing Yang's mouth to hang open slightly.

"That's so cool!" The brawler cheered as she quickly circled that girl to inspect the costume in depth.

It was an impressive costume that was an identical version of Yang's normal combat outfit, including the mismatched socks and bandana. The only thing that was missing from the costume was the burning heart symbol, instead it had been replaced by Sange's emblem.

"Why me, though?" Yang inquired excitedly. "I mean I am the most awesome person on team RWBY, but wouldn't Blake have made more sense?"

"Rain says it's because I am 'the most awesome person on team FRST'." She replied timidly.

"Plus." A voice rang out from behind them. "Normally she is my adorable faunus partner. Today is my only day to be her adorable faunus partner."

All five of them turned to see the newcomer. Almost as tall as Yang, the girl strode forward, her rainbow colored hair swaying back and forth. Her hair clashed with the black and white outfit that she wore, as well as the large black bow that was tied in her hair. As with Sange's outfit, Rain's outfit was an identical replica of Blake's normal outfit, barring the change in symbols and measurements to fit her more muscular body type.

"Wait." Weiss held her hands up. "What about Ferrum and Thyme? Please tell me they aren't-"

"Dressed like you and Ruby?" Rain winked at the snowy-haired girl. "Here they come, why don't you find out." The energetic girl waved one of her arms over her head to catch the attention of her last two teammates. "Boys! Over here!"

Taking a breath to steel herself before looking at the approaching duo, Weiss was relieved at the alterations that were made to the costumes.

"Aw man." Yang forced a false whine. "I was hoping to see some skirts."

Ferrum was wearing an outfit that looked similar to Ruby's, but the skirt was replaced with pure black pants and the corset was replaced with off-centered buttons. Thyme's outfit didn't resemble Weiss' that closely. Since the boy towered at almost seven feet tall, his outfit looked more like that of an Atlesian specialist.

"Ah! We need a picture!" Ruby announced.

Snagging a passerby, Ruby handed her scroll over and the four of them posed for a picture. After several poses were struck, including the mandatory 'silly' photo, curiousity got the best of Weiss.

"So, why us?" She inquired to Ferrum.

"Well… As you know, I chose to attend Beacon because of you, CFVY, JNPR, and other teams. Every year I have always dressed as a well-known hunter." The boy looked thoughtful as he explained, as though he was trying to make sure he didn't convey the wrong message. "When Ruby snuck into our initiation earlier this year it made the decision easy. Luckily my team was so willing to go along with it."

"Of course we were!" Rain added. "I mean team RWBY. Their first year they foiled not one, but two major White Fang plots. In their second year they managed to defeat Cinder and stop the grimm invasions." A large smile sprouted on her lips. "Now who knows what they are going to do in their third year." Leaning over to whisper into Yang's ear, she added one last thing. "Plus Ferrum had a huge crush on Ruby."

"So how did you choose whom would be whom?" Pressing the issue, not for entirely unselfish reasons.

"Well, I am sure Rain shared her reasons for why her and Sange are Blake and Yang… She has been going on nonstop about that for the last week." The brunet gestured to the teammates in question. "I am the team leader, so I chose your team leader. And Thyme just took what was left."

"Ah…" Weiss responded, trying to maintain poise and hide the respondent state the last sentence put her in.

"That isn't entirely true." Thyme murmured to the group. "While I was the last one to choose, it was because Ferrum and Rain were so, eager, to make their ideas known. I would still have chosen to represent you, Weiss Schnee."

Weiss' poise started to breakdown as confusion washed over her. "Why me?"

The large boy smiled wide, showing of his sharp teeth her inherited from his heritage as a bear faunus. "You are the epitome of what a huntress should be. You eschewed a wealthy background to protect those who are incapable of protecting themselves. You place yourself at risk, even though you could have easily lead a life of leisure. You also treat everyone fairly, showing us that a daughter of Schnee could be an ally to the faunus. If a Schnee can be a huntress and protect those in need, then all of us have hope that things can improve."

"But I haven't done anything!"

"Yes, you have. More than you know. One day the SDC will change hands, and the new will replace the old, things will improve. That is a long way in the future, but as long as Weiss Schnee is a huntress, we have hope for tomorrow."

"I… Thank you, Thyme."

"Aww…" Ruby crooned as she latched onto Weiss, giving her a tight hug. "You're blushing."

"I am not, you dolt!" Protesting, the heiress tried to struggle free. "Unhand me now!"

"I hate to break up the touching moment." Yang interjected, but we have more work to do.

The rest of the afternoon passed swiftly as everything was completed and the plaza began to fill up with party goers. Weiss mulled over what the tall faunus had said to her as she completed her work and moved through the square to find the rest of her team. After reuniting, the four of them purchased food at one of the vendors that was set up and began to move from stall to stall, looking at the various goods that were offered. The noise grew as time went on, but after the sun began to set, and the lights strung across the grounds turned on, silence fell. Everyone began to gather around the unlit bonfire. A man with regal bearings stood next to it, he was one of Vale's councilmen. Without any hesitation he began to speak, it was a short speech more of a ritual that is repeated every year.

"Since the beginning, man has faced the darkness together. Even though we have faltered, and strayed from our ways, we always find our way back. This night, as every year before it, is a sacred night. We have been protected by the Huntsman and Huntress who risk their lives, as well as the soldiers who support them. We have been provided for by the civilians who work hard to support our kingdoms and civilization. No one here has not felt the touch of the grimm's claws on the lives of a loved one. We honor those fallen tonight and, as from dust we rose, to dust we return."

After the final words left his mouth, the bonfire behind him ignited in a blaze. Weiss prepared her dust offering and filed into a line behind Ruby. Lines formed around the bonfire as, one by one, everyone scattered their dust offering into the bonfire. After making their offering, all four of them made their way away from the fire, kneeling down and maintaining a silent vigil as the feelings of grief, loss, anger, helplessness, and remorse washed across the town. After the last offering was made, the lights brightened and a band, in one of the corners of the plaza, struck up a happy beat.

The switch was instantaneous. All those that had fostered negative emotions made their way to food and drink, or danced to the music. The noise rose and conversations restarted and the heavy atmosphere dispersed, replaced with a light feel of joy and contentment.

TIme passed and many drink were shared between teammates, and Weiss didn't know how long they had been there, but Yang swept her up and started dancing with her. Not far behind her trailed Ruby, looking to cut in. Weiss looked into Yang's lilac eyes, care and warmth emanated from them. As Ruby reached them, Yang winked at Weiss.

"You guys never would have danced otherwise." Handing Weiss off, Yang made her way back to Blake. "How bout it, partner. Up for a dance? Or is there a guy floating around you'd like me to drag over?"

"I'll take my chances with you." Blake quipped back, allowing herself to be pulled into the crowd.

As the music slowed down into a more intimate song, allowing revelers a little reprieve, they heard the clock tower ring. It was now midnight. With the changing of days, the next hour would become more chaotic as people would seek out specific Huntsmen and Huntresses to bestow gifts.

"Come with me." Ruby whispered, pulling Weiss to the edge of the plaza where it was significantly less crowded.

"Is something wrong, Ruby?" Weiss inquired carefully.

"Nothing, I just… I have a gift for you." Ruby fished through her pockets and handed a small wrapped package to her partner. "I know technically only civilians are supposed to give gifts today. But as a huntress you have helped me so much. I could never have survived my time at Beacon without you. I would have failed my classes my first year, I wouldn't take things seriously, and I would be a terrible leader. So, thank you."

Weiss stared at the small package in her hands before carefully unwrapping it. I was a small set of simple metal earrings embossed with a rose on one side and snowflake on the other.

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss cast her thoughts back towards everything she had seen and felt that day. The importance of huntresses, her role in protecting people, and her father's request. The answer was easy for her now, she was going to graduate Beacon and become a Huntress.

There may be a day in the future where she could pull a coup and take the SDC by force, and would be the only day that she would give up on the life of a Huntress.

Pulling Ruby in for a brief kiss, she felt herself get interrupted by a crushing embrace.

"Found you!" Yang's jubilant voice hit her ears.

Another presence joined, it was Blake. Yang shifted her grip and pulled the faunus into the group hug as well. Caught in the middle, Weiss didn't feel like objecting. This warmth and camaraderie made her feel at home, something her father could never give her.

After holding her teammates tightly for a few minutes, Yang spoke up again."Now that we have all had our treats, who up for some tricks?"

* * *

 **Make sure to leave a review and tell me how I did!**

 **Also, go to the RWBY subreddit and read the other stories that people wrote for this and vote for your favorite.**


	6. Magnolia

**My first time writing a story that isn't centered around a member of team RWBY... *Takes deep breath***

 ***Holds it***

 **Magnolia  
** **Song: Castle of Glass - Linkin Park  
** **Characters: Velvet** **Scarlatina**

 **#MyCanon**

* * *

 _Tap tap tap._

Gold-toed shoes tapped together as liquid brown eyes cautiously surveyed the interior of the airship.

 _Tap tap tap._

Filled with nervous energy, she was happy that she chose to take a seat in one of the corners. Most of the other occupants walked around freely, talking among themselves and looking at the view out the windows.

 _Tap tap tap._

Her arm rested on her bag that held her camera. There were so many good photo opportunities around her, but she was too shy to try anything.

 _Tap tap…_

A student near her gave a short glare, causing her to force her feet from knocking together. Casting her eyes down in embarrassment, she briefly considered apologizing for her annoying habit. She didn't. The pressure of having someone's attention focused on her would only be expanded due to the fact that her thick Menagerian accent would bring more attention to her. Her long bunny ears granted by her faunus heritage already drew enough unwanted attention as it was.

This was a mistake. She had never once been outside of Menagerie by herself in her 18 years of life and now she was traveling alone to a human dominated kingdom to attend at Beacon Academy. Beyond that, she was entering a year late. From an academic standpoint, except for a few remedial classes she would have to take, she should mostly be on par with her peers. Though, taking classes with first years seemed less imposing than taking them with people her own age. As far as combat was concerned, she helped defend her village from grimm, which is how she was discovered by a wandering Huntsman.

Her initial understanding was that she was supposed to also enter as a first year, but was later told that a second year position opened up. The headmaster, who had called her personally to inform her of the change, seemed nice. It also seemed like he was hiding something. He didn't tell her why the opening had occurred, but he did tell her that her team wouldn't be ready for her for a couple weeks after school started.

A new sound drew her attention. The crew was announcing that they would be landing at Beacon in less than five minutes. That suited her just fine, she could find her room and avoid people until dinner time.

* * *

Soft eyes fluttered open. It was the first day of school, and lucky for her, she didn't have classes until the afternoon. Maybe this would be an opportune time to roam around the campus and get acquainted with her new home. Most students would be in class as well, meaning that she could get some pictures without drawing too much attention to herself. That thought energized her and she bounced across her small, temporary room as she prepared herself for the day. Deciding to don the school outfit so she would blend in better, she made sure to grab her normal camera. Picking her weapon box up, she considered bringing it too. All of her previous trips to human lands had incurred racial harassment by humans, but she was at a Hunter academy. Surely people here were more understanding than the average population. Setting her weapon back down on desk, she happily skipped out the door, all of the previous day's hesitation was nonexistent.

Being springtime, a lot of the trees and flowers that dotted campus were flowering. Getting lost in the scenery, she made her way across campus, trying to avoid as many students as possible so she didn't have to worry about what she took a picture of. Locating a bench next to an empty walkway, she sat down to collect herself and review what she had so far. Engrossed in inspecting her work, she didn't notice other students approaching her until one of them spoke.

"I didn't know they let rats in now." A clearly male voice jeered.

Keeping her focus on her camera, she wished they would be quieter with whatever was drawing their ire.

"It's like they think they're people." Another voice responded.

This caused her to start to become a little uneasy. They were obviously talking about a faunus now.

"No, dude. I think she's supposed to be a rabbit or something." A third voice joined the mix.

A cold shiver ran down her spine as she realized that they were talking about her.

"Whatever!" The first voice spoke up again venomously. "Still vermin."

Hoping they would go away, she kept her eyes down and on her hands. Other people who had disparaged her before usually tired of it and left. The insults still stung, she wasn't a vermin or a pest, she was a person just like them.

"You know." A fourth voice spoke right next to her ear as a orange-haired teen stood over her, causing her to flinch. "If it wasn't for those revolting ears, she'd be probably be pretty."

Her body started to shake, she was starting to fear for her own personal safety as three other boys gathered around the one standing by her.

"Look at her ignore you." One of them chuckled. "It's like she thinks she belongs here."

That was the last straw for her, moving quickly, she sprung up from the bench. Clutching her camera tightly she bolted past the boys and down a random pathway.

Running blindly across school grounds, using her free arm to shield her face so no one could see the tears streaking down, she stumbled into a small grove of flowering magnolia trees. Leaning against one of the trunks to catch her breath, a voice from behind her caused her to jump and whirl around.

"Welcome, Little One." A low, measured voice originated from farther in the gathering of trees. "Feel free to come sit."

Curiosity overpowered her caution as she wove her way forward. The trees gave way to a garden surrounding a small pond. In a grassy area sat what appeared to be another student. Wearing combat garb, he sat cross legged with his eyes closed, a greatsword lying in the grass next to him.

"How'd you know I was small?" She inquired.

A smile graced his lips as his eyes opened. "If you want to appear bigger, you're going to have to make a lot more noise."

She hummed in response. "It's peaceful here."

"Indeed." The teen muttered back before closing his eyes again. "You're welcome to sit. We all have our own strife and inner conflict to face, there's no better place to do so."

"I-I-" She stuttered before stopping herself.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Won't I be bothering you?"

"As long as you keep this place a safe sanctuary, you're always welcome."

Picking a spot a few feet away from the boy, she sat down with her legs stretched out in front of her. Something about him made her feel safe and welcome, but she kept a little distance just in case. As she began to relax she felt her feet move due to a familiar habit.

 _Tap tap tap._

Remember the scorn it caused her on the airship ride she froze and quickly looked over at her companion. He didn't seem to react to it. Slowly letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, she heard his friendly timbre again.

"Comforting habit?"

"Yes." The answer came timidly, but without hesitation.

"Feel free to continue."

Smiling for the first time since the earlier incident with the bullies, she laid back on the grass and stared at the sky.

 _Tap tap tap._

* * *

Two weeks passed since she first met the boy in the garden. She forgot to ask his name at the time, as she had fallen asleep shortly after lying down in the grass. He had patiently waited there until she woke up, keeping watchful vigil. Looking at her scroll, she realized that she was late for her first class and took off at a sprint. Since then, she had returned to that sanctuary multiple times, mostly to relax, but part of her hoped that she would see him again.

Some of her visits paid off. He was there, occasionally, though he never seemed to be willing to talk much. He did, listen to her problems whenever she cared to talk about them and would often offer small pieces of advice. She was thankful that her antics never seemed to bother him. Still, they never got around to exchanging names.

Lost in her thoughts, she was still wondering when Ozpin would finally assign her to her team. Breakfast wasn't something she normally indulged in, but she was in a good mood today. Setting her food down at an open table she began to eat slowly while reading a news article on her scroll. Since it was earlier in the morning, the cafeteria wasn't packed, and was relatively quiet.

'Was' being the key word.

The all too familiar, and unwanted, presence known as Cardin announced itself as he sat on the bench beside her. She tried to shift away from the encroaching boy, but realized that one of his teammates was on the other side of her. The rest of his teammates took positions on the other side of the table, with one of them. Stowing her scroll, she grabbed her tray and tried to get up to leave. Their harassment of her had become an almost daily occurrence, and the best way she learned to deal with is was just to quickly vacate the area. As she swung her legs over the bench, and started to stand, she felt a large, strong hand grab one of her long faunus ears.

Upon contact her body instinctively froze. Her ears were very sensitive and, beyond that, it was considered taboo for someone to touch another faunus' heritage markers without permission. The hope that Cardin would let go quickly was dashed as the orange-haired boy pulled on it, hard.

"Ow, that hurts." She cried out as pain wracked her ear and head.

The boy just laughed at her instead, adding insult to injury. As they laughed, Cardin pulled on her ear again, causing her to stagger forward.

"Please stop." She whimpered as she pulled back to prevent herself from falling over, sending a wave of pain that rolled from her ear and down her spine.

To her relief, he didn't pull on her ear again, but her also did release it either.

"I told you they wereit was real." He chuckled to his cohorts.

"What a freak!" One of the exclaimed back as the other continued to snigger at her.

Pulling back one more time, she finally felt the painful grip on her ear release. Quickly turning, she fled from the cafeteria, covering her face with one hand as she held her tray in the other, depositing it by the trash cans on her way out.

Her distressed mind was still blank, but her feet followed a familiar path. By the time she looked up, she realized that she was in the garden again. Crashing down into the grass on her knees, she buried face into one of her arms while the other hand rubbed her sore ear. It didn't make sense why people had to be so mean.

 _Tap tap tap._

She felt something touch her shoulder three times. Twisting around and balling her fists, she faced the newcomer. It was the tall boy that she had been meeting her over the past few weeks. Thoughtlessly she dove into him wrapping her arms around him seeking some sort of comfort. Surprisingly, he instantly returned the gesture, scooping her up in his massive arms and cradling her as she cried. He must have held her for hours, sitting by the pond. Even after her tears ran dry and her shaking stopped.

Slowly she unburied her head from the front of his robe before speaking with a shaky voice. "Thank you."

The boy hummed in response as he set the diminutive faunus down.

"I never did ask you your name."

"My name is Yatsuhashi." He responded evenly. "What is yours?"

"Velvet."

"It's a pleasure to finally know your name."

The rest of the morning passed as the two idly chatted about various subjects. Velvet was happy to finally make what she could call a friend. After a few more hours, the campus clock reminded both of the them that had to attend to. After exchanging scroll numbers, they parted ways, Velvet now had a brand new smile on her face.

* * *

 _Tap tap tap._

Velvet was once again sitting in the cafeteria on her own, the tapping of her toes lost in the background noise of other students talking. This time she was enjoying a dinner and trying to eat quickly before anyone could bother her. As she was close to finished eating, her scroll chimed. It was an email from the headmaster.

Hoping for some good news, she quickly opened the message and found it was finally her team assignment. She'll be part of a team named CFVY. Reading farther she was briefed on the basic information regarding her new team. Formerly called team CFYN, they lost a member of their team due to an accident the week before school started. That explained her sudden bump from first year entree to a second year team. Reading on to her team members' names, she saw that the team was lead by an intimidating girl named Coco who was partnered was a young man name Fox. Her breath hitched, that meant that she would be partnered with the member who just lost their own partner. Reading farther she stopped and smiled; the name that appeared next was delightfully familiar to her, Yatsuhashi Daichi. The accompanying picture verified that it was the same boy that she had been meeting for the past two weeks in the magnolia grove. There was no information on his old partner beyond a name, Nale Ble.

Finally, at the bottom of the message was a meeting place and time, as well as her new room assignment. She smiled as her toes started to tap together again, she finally would have some friends. In a few hours she wouldn't have to face adversaries alone anymore.

"Hey, look who it is again." A male voice caused a chill to run down her spine. "Beacon's persistent rodent."

Grabbing her tray, she tried to stand up to avoid the incoming quartet of boys, but to no avail. Cardin placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down into her seat. Attempting to shy away from the hand, lest he try to pull her ears again, she tried to contemplate her options. Until two weeks ago, she had only fought grimm before, so she wasn't confident in her abilities in trying to defend herself against four opponents at once. Normally she would try to just wait this out, but Cardin and his lackeys have shown that they were ok with resorting to physical violence instead of just cruel words.

"Oh, not even going to say hi to your friends?" He taunted has the other boys laughed.

Not saying a word, she tried to squirm out from the vice grip that was placed on her shoulder.

"Leaving so soon?" He sneered, tightening his grip and eliciting a small yelp from the faunus. "Here let me make it up to you. How about I give your ears a pet. Will that make you feel better?"

Frantically twisting, she opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out.

"Aw, come on." His free hand reached forward towards her nearest ear. "Animals like you always enjoy getting pe- Agh!"

As the boy gave off a painful shout, the grip on her arm released, causing her fall backwards off of the bench. She tried to throw her arms back to catch herself, but she never hit the ground. Instead, she found herself in a familiar pair of arms. Looking up, she saw a girl her age bending over, looking at her over a pair of fashionable sunglasses.

"You must be Velvet." The girl stated plainly, an edge of anger was present in her voice. "My names Coco."

"Um, hi." Velvet muttered back weakly.

Coco stood up suddenly and turned away. "Yatsu, take our little bunny somewhere safe. Fox and I are going to have a little chat with these first years over here."

"Yes, Coco." A rumbling voice spoke from behind her as she felt herself being picked up and held carefully.

From her new vantage point in Yatsuhashi's arms, Velvet was able to observe the scene. A new boy with messy copper hair was standing next to Cardin, whose face had been shoved against the table. The hand that he had tried to touch her ears with twisted behind his back by the newcomer, whom she now recognized as Fox. The other three boys looked deathly scared of Coco as she slowly advanced towards them, cracking her knuckles.

"Let's get you out of here." Yatsuhashi said with a consoling voice as he carried her from the cafeteria. "That will be some ugly business."

A few minutes later, they had reached the magnolia grove again. The giant boy reached and plucked one of the flowers from a nearby tree and gave it the faunus before sitting down in a grassy area and setting her on the grass beside him.

She leaned against her new partner as the quietly rested, holding the magnolia flower against her chest with one hand, as the other supported her.

"Hey." Finally finding her voice again. "I wanted to apologise for disturbing you these last two weeks. I guess I… trying to deal with the discrimination and rejection… I didn't think about how I was bothering you. I guess, I was feeling lonely and selfish."

"To tell you the truth." Yatsuhashi looked down to meet her eyes. "I was lonely too. I looked forward to the next time I would see you here." He paused and tapped her on the tip of her nose three times. "Now that we're partners, I'll always be there to protect you."

* * *

 ***Exhales slowly***

 **Did ok, yeah?**

 **Have a great week!**


	7. Gold

**Author's Note: I have had this story rattling around in my head for a while, I am happy to finally get it to 'paper'.**

 **Song: Gold - Jeff and Casey Williams**

 **#MyCanon**

* * *

 _I'm sorry I haven't written in awhile, Mom. After graduating from Beacon I have been incredibly busy with my new life as a huntress. I have been out and about nonstop for weeks at a time on missions to clear out dangerous Grimm nests or hunting down roaming packs. I have gotten to work side by side with famous huntsmen and huntresses who have been doing this for years, or even decades! The job is everything I had ever hoped it could be. I see a lot of missions pop up, calling for help tracking down terrorist cells or chasing revolutionists. It just feels wrong to me. I want to make the world a better place by eradicating the Grimm, I don't want to fight man or faunus if I don't have to. I know you would approve of that, and I hope dad does too. He never approved of me becoming a huntress, but I have been out here, making the world a better place and making a name for myself! When I meet people now, some of them are starting to recognize my name. If that can't make the old man proud, then I don't know what ever will._

 _You'll be happy to know that some things never change. I still wear lots of white whenever I get a chance and my dorky partner is still careless with their giant scythe, just swinging it around everywhere. I swear, that is one obsession I will never understand, but the ability to cut an ursa in half with a single stroke is definitely nice to have on the battlefield. After all, I tend to go for the smaller weapons and dust casting that don't hit as hard. Blondie is still the best looking last thing people will see before they get punched to death. There so much strength behind that unassuming form, and resilience; always the last one standing, whether it was dueling practice, taking an extra watch, or dragging us out of a nest of Grimm. Unfairly intelligent too, some people just get everything._

 _You've probably noticed I haven't mentioned one of my teammates. I still can't believe what happened._

 _She left, Mom._

 _She left us all, just disappeared one day._

 _More importantly, she left her._

 _How could someone ever turn their back on lavender eyes like that. You have to have a heart colder than the ices of Solitas to do what she did. Sure, she was always a bit flighty, but she always told us before she disappeared._

 _Not this time. We should have seen the warning signs. I didn't want to though, she was my best friend! People tell me that she is coming back, she isn't. Since graduation she had been drifting away from us, even her own partner. They had started dating while they were still at Beacon and were together for years after that. I admit, I may have been jealous of her at first, I should have acted faster, but she acted first. Still, they stayed together after Beacon, for years, but there was never any talk of marriage. I tried to chalk that up to her people's culture, I really held onto that and it blinded me. Having a kid was the last straw for her._

 _It's not right! Someone with that golden of hair should have a life to match. I would have been there, through thick and thin I would have never left, no matter what. Some feelings had faded through the years, but now they're back, and stronger now._

 _She left and gave the their daughter her father's name. She left the man I love without someone to rely on and her newborn without a mother to take care of her. I won't ever forgive her. I can't ever forgive her._

 _Mom, I know you tell me not to do anything rash, but I have to do this. I will be Yang's light in these dark times, I will make sure she grows up with a mother, with a family. Her life will be the same color as her hair, gold._

 _Thanks for listening, Mom._

 _Love,  
_ _Summer_

* * *

 **There is actually a reason for this. When I got into RWBY, I watched the show several times (only season one and two were out at that time) before finally listening to the soundtrack. It wasn't until Season 3 came out that I starting getting into the FNDM and looking into alot of the background stuff. Thus I had to come to my own conclusions about the song. It sounded so motherly, and I instantly knew it was from Yang to Ruby, but I slowly realized something else, it could just as easily be a song from Summer to Yang.**

 **If you enjoyed this, feel free to favorite, follow, or leave a review. Let me know how I did, what you liked, or didn't like.**


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